George Washington
It was the winter of 1754; the French were closing in and invading America. The English, who were in charge at the time, did not want this issue to continue. Therefore, a man named George Washington was instructed by the king himself to go to where the French were camping and make peace. George Washington took some men with him and started through the wilderness. George Washington and his men shivered in the bitter cold. Slowly but surely, they came closer to the French encampment. Finally, they arrived. George Washington tried to reason with them, but it was no use. The French wanted to claim all of America for themselves. With a heavy heart, George Washington gathered his men and started for home. As they were taking a shortcut by boat along a river, which was colder than a freezer, George Washington fell into the icy water and nearly drowned. Thankfully, God protected him, and he climbed back into the boat. They got home and informed the king of what the French declared. As the French continued to invade America, the English knew that they had to take action. Eventually, the English declared war on the French. The French, after hearing of this, made allies of the Native Americans, telling them that the English would take all of the land if they won. George Washington, who was only twenty-two years old at the time, was made a commander. One day, George Washington and his men were trekking through the dense forest, when the French ambushed them. The fight had hardly begun, before French were retreating with their tails between their legs. Young George Washington thought that all of the battles would be that easy. In the forest a few days later, George Washington and his men were ambushed again. This time, however, The French were better prepared, and many of George Washington’s men were injured, and a few died. Once their supply of gunpowder got wet from rain, George Washington decided to try a compromise: they would retreat to Virginia if the French wouldn’t pursue. The French agreed. Even though it hurt George Washington’s pride to surrender and retreat, he knew that the lives of his men were more important than his ego. The English now knew that winning this war against the French wouldn’t be as easy as they originally thought. There was an English general whose name was General Braddock. He planned to take his men through the same forest where George Washington had been ambushed. George Washington was under the leadership of this general. A few days before the march, George Washington went to General Braddock and told him to camouflage his men instead of wearing bright red uniforms. General Braddock did not want to take advice from someone lower in rank than himself, so he sent George Washington away. “Who did he think he was?” thought Braddock. Pridefully, General Braddock took his men, who were wearing bright red uniforms, into the forest. Sneaking carefully through the forest, General Braddock and his men tried to be as quiet as possible. Suddenly, Indians attacked. They were camouflaged, and could easily spot General Braddock and his men. Though the men fought bravely, nearly all of them died, including General Braddock. Since George Washington had wisely warned General Braddock of this, he was elected to replace Braddock as the new General. General Braddock is remembered for his failure. Not long after this, the English claimed victory. It was partly because of this war that George Washington became a General in the Revolutionary War, and it was because of that war that he became our first president. George Washington was under the hand of God his whole life. God can work in you as well, if you just give him the chance.